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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26791933">Not All Those Who Wander Are Lost</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThatOnePsycho/pseuds/ThatOnePsycho'>ThatOnePsycho</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Sword Art Online (Anime &amp; Manga), 僕のヒーローアカデミア | Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>BAMF Midoriya Izuku, Cross-Posted on FanFiction.Net, F/M</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-10-03</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-10-29</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 06:34:04</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Major Character Death</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>13,026</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26791933</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThatOnePsycho/pseuds/ThatOnePsycho</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Fifty thousand people were trapped in Sword Art Online without their Quirks. And of those people, two guilds were infamous for their rivalry. Laughing Coffin and the Rangers. Even in a world of swords, there or Villains and Heroes. This is the story of those heroes</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>30</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>122</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Sorry if this is a bit… rough, I’m not doing the best.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>---X </span>
  <b>Izuku </b>
  <span>X---</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Izuku dodged the wolf lunging for him, pulling back his right fist. The system assist took over and he slammed a jab glowing gold into the wolf's jaw. Swiping away the little pop up of col, experience and the tenth Wolf Pelt quest item, he opened his menu and scrolled to his friend's list and picked out two names. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>They listened to the complaint about Martial Arts</span>
  </em>
  <span>, Izuku typed with a hum, shaking his other hand. A boar entered the agro radius right after he sent the message off and he sidestepped the charge and activated another jab. The fist lowered the health of the boar before taking a second to let go of the slight stiffening.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Driving a foot into the boar to flip it over, Izuku pulled back his arm and drove a fist into the boar's unprotected gut. In the corner of his vision, the mail icon appeared. Izuku opened his menu and the mail while flipping the knife in the air.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Well, there goes a whole lotta col on the second floor,</span>
  </em>
  <span> Argo's message flashed, </span>
  <em>
    <span>Thanks, Ku-Ku.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Like people weren't just gonna log off and find the knowledge themselves</span>
  </em>
  <span>, Kirito sent.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>But that takes effort</span>
  </em>
  <span>, Argo sent, </span>
  <em>
    <span>and some people aren't gonna wanna put in that effort, Ki-bou.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>I'll help you find more information</span>
  </em>
  <span>, Izuku sent, before pulling up another friend from the beta.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Hey, you on?</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>--- X </span>
  <b>Denki </b>
  <span>X---</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Kaminari Denki slid on the helmet. Lying down on the bed, he closed his eyes and breathed in. This was gonna be weird…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Link Start!" Denki said, loud and clear. Then there was a feeling like he had fallen off his bed and he had to force himself to keep his eyes closed. Crap, that was a bad feeling…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Ah," Denki's eye jumped open to a blue-white void stretching out for as far as the eye could see. Standing in front of him was an old man leaning on a wooden staff, grey robes covering his body and a wide brimmed hat.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Give him a pipe and you had the most blatant reference to Gandalf you would ever get, "You there… you're the one I called, yes?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Right, probably a tutorial or something like that, "Yeah."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Good, good," the man said, coughing into his hand and staggering, "I am… I am Wuthering. An old wizard, and one nearly dead. Come closer, let me see your face."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And that was his cue to design his character. Male, middle age, black and grey hair… check, check, check.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"What's your name?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Thunderer</span>
  </em>
  <span>, Denki typed into the floating text box, hitting the pair of buttons to confirm the name. The old NPC nodded, looking at Denki with unseeing eyes.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I've had to… to put more mana than I care to admit into this spell," he said, "To teleport you from Ainground to Aincrad. But I know quite a few of my friends are doing the same. Summoning Adventurers from across it into the Steel Castle. You will help us, won't you?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Yep," Denki said dryly. C'mon, hurry this up.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Then I can bring one weapon with you," Wuthering said, and a dozen weapons appeared around Denki. He swept his hand to the side. One Handed Sword, Two Handed Sword, Curved Sword, Warhammer, Rapier…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Two Handed Assault Spear.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Denki grabbed the weapon, twirling it in place and stifling a yelp as he nearly dropped it. He was gonna need to practice that before he started PVP!</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Are you sure that's the weapon you want?" Wuthering said, and another confirmation window appeared in front of Denki. He hit the yes button, and Wuthering nodded, "Good, good. Then go, journey into Aincrad and defeat the Monsters who infest it. I… I have done my part."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The man shattered into fragments of light as a pathway opened in front of Denki. He walked along it, a glowing light growing in front of him before…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>{Welcome to Sword Art Online!} The banner appeared in front of his eyes as he stepped out into the castle, a dozen people doing the same. The exit in front of him was bottlenecking at least a hundred others.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Well, he guessed there were lines even in cyberspace.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>--- X </span>
  <b>Ejiro </b>
  <span>X---</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Kirishima Ejiro stared into the helmet with a gulp, weighing in carefully. Finally, he slid it onto his head and laid down, closing his eyes. He could do this, he </span>
  <em>
    <span>would</span>
  </em>
  <span> do this.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Link Start," Ejiro said, slipped into unconciousness. Before he could do anything, an old man appeared, clutching his staff.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Ah," he said, tliting his head so Ejiro could see one blinded eye, "You there… You're the one I called, yes?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Yes," Ejiro nodded, and the man cracked a smile before coughing violently. Despite knowing he wasn't a real person, Ejiro rushed forward to support the man.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Thank you," he rasped, "I am… I am Wuthering. An old wizard, and one nearly dead. Now, let me take a good look at your face."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ejiro's perception shifted, a male and female avatar appearing before him, both kinda genaric. Raising his hand towards the man, he stepped forward and the woman stepped back, becoming slightly transparent. Ejiro hit the conformation button, and the girl disappeared completely.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Cursors appeared around the body of the man, letting Ejiro change details. Haircut, hair color, default armor color. He flicked through the haircuts, before stopping on one that was slightly spiked. Then he began to do the same with hair colors. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Red, black… natural hair color or something different? Let's see… </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Finally, Ejiro settled on dark red hair. Swiping the armor to a black and red, he hit the check mark and let the next bit of dialogue play, before a menu popped up prompting his came. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Great, another thing he hadn't thought about before getting into the game. Uh, let's see, something he'd be able to respond to, that worked… Kiri? Ei? Cutter?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Finally, heaving a tired sigh Ejiro typed in Cutter… only for a red flash to come from the screen as he tried to lock it in. Someone else had already grabbed that, huh?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Then let's try Kiri…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Huh, that one was open. Kiri it was.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Wurthing staggered theatrically, before using his staff to brace himself, "I've had to… to put more mana than I care to admit into this spell, to teleport you from Ainground to Aincrad. But I know quite a few of my friends are doing the same. Summoning Adventurers from across it into the Steel Castle. You will help us, won't you?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"You bet!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Then I can bring one weapon with you," Weapons flashed into existence around Ejiro… Kiri, now, he guessed. Staring between the two handed sword and axe, he worried his lip. Which to use, which you use…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I can buy new weapons in Aincrad, right?" Ejiro said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"And find them off monsters," Wuthering confirmed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Right then, uh… Dore ni shiyou kana…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Kiri wrapped his hands around the haft of the axe, feeling the weight. It was heavy, but strong.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Are you sure that's the weapon you want?" At Kiri's nod, Wuthering nodded back, "Good, good. Then go, journey into Aincrad and defeat the Monsters who infest it. I… I have done my part."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And then he shattered, leaving a path for Kiri to walk down.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>--- X </span>
  <b>Memoir </b>
  <span>X---</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>The memory is a fickle thing.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>That may seem like a non-sequitur, but it's the honest truth. My memories of the first day are fallible, and it was only while asking my friends what they did that I realized how much so they were. For one thing, remembering them there at all is one. They were, of course, we all were. But we didn't know each other, and many of us wouldn't meet for the first time until days to months after the start of the Death Game.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>I remember them with the weapons and armor that would become their signature on the latter floors, which is another one. Denki could not have unlocked his glaive skill on day one, nor Kiri the suit of heavy armor.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>And their reactions were more in line with what they would do later. Izuku quietly, awkwardly wandered off and out of the town, even though I know with absolute certainty that wasn't what happened. Ejiro and Denki joked together, trying to bleed tension from the fifty thousand men and women that had been trapped. </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>All wrong, of course. </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span> -Memoirs of the Rangers, Vol. 1. Yaoyorozu Momo</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>--- X </span>
  <b>Suguha </b>
  <span>X---</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Suguha bit the inside of her cheek, swinging the saber with one hand, then two, "Why does the katana skill require curved swords? They're not that curved, and kenjutsu is normally two handed."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Kazuto… </span>
  <em>
    <span>Kirito</span>
  </em>
  <span> gave a shrug, sitting on the ground and watching the red haired man they had joined up with, Klein, fight a boar with the same weapon. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Somethings don't make sense," Suguha whipped around, watching the tall man that had spoken approach them. Well, he was an All Might fanboy, there was clear from his Avatar's uncanny resemblance to the Symbol of Peace. Golden hair, blue eyes, and a wide grin on his face. Suguha tensed, but Kaz- Kirito stood up with a stretch.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I thought you and Pito were going to patrol the areas around the Town?" He said, and the man gave a nervous laugh.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"She isn't on yet," he said, taking Kirito's hand and bumping shoulders with him, "So I decided to come see what you were up to."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Teaching my sister and this guy the ropes," Kirito said, "Sugu, Klein, this is I-Might… but we call him Nine, it's a bit of a long story."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Nice to meet you," he said, giving a bow before hopping onto the boulder Kirito had been sitting on. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Nine's was one of SAO's premier PKKers, during the Beta," Kirito explained.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"PKKer?" Suguha asked, tasting the word.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Player Killer Killer," Klein explained, "They go around fighting gankers…people who ambush other players and kill 'em. They're not popular in PvP, since PvPers view it as ruining the fun."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"If people want to fight they can fight," Nine said with a shrug, "but jumping a player and </span>
  <em>
    <span>forcing </span>
  </em>
  <span>them to PvP isn't fair or fun for them. Plus, when you're getting slashed or stabbed or hit for real, it's scary."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Yeah," Klein nodde, "I guess so. Mind sparring with me? I wanna get a taste for PvP."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Sure," Nine slid off the rock, pulling up his menu and sending a request for a 50% duel to Klein. The redhead accepted, and moved his sword as the timer slid down, at the same time Nine rolled his arms. 3. 2. 1.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Go.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Klein rushed forward in a Sword Skill, only for a golden fist to bat his sword off course. Izu swung his leg for Klein's head in the next second, hitting where neck met shoulder with a nasty thud and a noticeable drop to Klein's health bar. Finishing the spin, Nine carried it into a punch to the neck the dropped Klein below the fifty percent, finishing the duel.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"What that…?" Klein said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"The game tracks where you hit for calculating crits," Nine explained, "so when fighting another player, or a human shaped mob, going for the neck is the best move. Though you should be careful. The game doesn't hard lock HP for duels, so you could accidentally drop them to zero."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Makes sense," Klein nodded, "mind grinding with us for a bit so you can tell me some more pointers?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Until Pito messages me, sure," Nine said, voice jovial, "Though I might not be much help. I still have muscle memory for Sword Skills I don't have anymore."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>--- X </span>
  <b>Yuuki </b>
  <span>X---</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Konno Yuuki stepped out of the castle, rolling her shoulders to work out the kinks. There had been a lot, and she did mean </span>
  <em>
    <span>a lot</span>
  </em>
  <span> of people in there. But still, she could get to partying and playing!</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Yuuki twirled the one handed sword she had picked out in her right hand, before seamlessly passing it to the other behind her back and doing the same. Turning her head, she looked around for anyone else who would be a good partner. Maybe a cute girl?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Guy with a black beard, guy with an axe slung over his shoulder… there they were!</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Hey!" Yuuki called, walking towards a black haired girl holding a dagger. She offered a smile towards the girl, who offered it back, shyly, "I'm Yuuki. Wanna party up?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Sure?" The girl said, "I'm Koharu."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Nice to meet you!" Yuuki chirped, "I'm Yuuki! C'mon, let's head into the field and get hunting, partner! I've waited an hour, I wanna try out our new home!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>--- X </span>
  <b>Rain </b>
  <span>X---</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Rain swung her sword through a Dire Wolf's side, sending it flying past her with a long wire frame gouge. That was one…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Now there were ten others she had accidentally aggro'd. Grea-</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Before she could continue that thought, an All Might clone rushed in grabbing one wolf's jaw and forcing it onto its hind legs. His knee flashed up and into the gut, before he dropped with it, slamming it onto the ground with a heavy thud and raising his fist, giving an inarticulate cry as he drove his hand down.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Three others rushed to join them, two holding curved swords and one holding the same sword Rain had chosen out of the gate.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Thanks," Rain said, nodding to them, "It'd suck to have to walk back from town after I died."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Yeah, it does," the black haired boy said, launching a Horizontal and cleaving the wolf in two, "kinda expected you to yell at us for taking your kills when Nine ran in."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Nine?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Better yelled at then leaving her to get swarmed," Fake-Might said, "I'm Nine, by the way. This is Kirito, Klein and Sugu."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Rain," she introduced herself, offering him a smile. Nine shot one back, before rolling his arms, "Mind helping me grind for a bit?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Sure," Nine said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Pito still isn't on?" Kirito said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Give me a second," Nine said, sweeping open his menu and frowning, "strange… she's on. Give me a second…"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Nine stepped away and sent a message out, knocking another wolf towards Rain as it attempted to lunge at him. Launching a Vertical, she let the wolf shatter on either side of her. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"She got caught up in the new players," Nine said, eyes reading the message, "She thinks it'll probably be a half hour before she gets ou-?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Before Nine could finish, there was a flash of blue light all around each of them, and a feeling like Rain was plummeting. What the-?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"A teleport?" Kirito yelped just before they vanished.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>--- X </span>
  <b>Yuuki </b>
  <span>X---</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Yuuki laughed, dodging away from one boar and deflecting an attempt to gore her from the other. Oh, wow, this was </span>
  <em>
    <span>fun</span>
  </em>
  <span> and got your blood pumping! It reminded her of that fight she had gotten into a few months ago.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Launching a Horizontal, Yuuki split the first boar in two. Her sword bit into the jaw and ripped through the beast like plastic, a red line appeared for a second while the health bar dropped to zero. Finally, the boar tipped over and the top half slid off second before it shattered. Stepping back, she twirled her sword around and watched Koharu fight off the other boar.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She was definitely less comfortable with the weapon than Yuuki was with hers. Her stance was… spotty, to say the least. Her grip on the rapier was too tight, her legs bent too much. Still, she launched a silver glowing Linear at the boar, sending it falling to the ground with a loud squeal and a steady drop of the health bar. Finally, the boar shattered, and Yuuki held out a hand for a high five.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Good job," a voice said from behind them, and they turned to see a man wearing a hood and dragging his two handed sword along the ground. He lifted one hand, before sending a message towards Yuuki.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>{Player: Diavel would like to duel. Y/N?}</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Yuuki glanced up at him, where he had shifted his sword to be in front of him, though still facing the ground, "Really? Day One?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"We all enjoy the game in different ways," Diavel said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Fair enough. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Alright," Yuuki said, hitting the accept button and preparing her one handed sword. Diavel finally finished moving his two handed sword into a combat position. </span>
</p><p> </p>
<ol>
<li><span> 2. 1.</span></li>
</ol><p> </p><p>
  <span>Go.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Yuuki dodged backwards, sliding away from the heavy overhead Sword Skill Diavel dropped on the spot she had been standing, the dirt being cleaved into like a hot knife through butter.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Yuuki rushed forward, a Slant glowing along her blade. Diavel ripped the two handed sword he was using up in another Sword Skill to deflect hers. Both of them took a staggering step back as their arms locked up with the post motion. So Yuuki did the only logical thing.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She pried the blade from her right hand and launched another Slant with her left. It bit home in the leather armor, dropping Diavel's health by ten percent. Switching hands again, she prepared for Diavel's next move. Instincts spreading, even without her Quirk to help her. And when the next attack came, a Horizontal's older brother, she ducked under the heavy sweep of the claymore. Lashing out with the pommel of the hilt, Yuuki put it to good use against the man's crotch before rolling behind him and slashing at his tendons.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Or she would have if he hadn't span, bringing his sword down in an overhead slash that dropped Yuuki's health by a quarter. Yuuki jumped back, preparing her sword…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And suddenly, a sign declaring the duel a draw flashed between them, giving Yuuki and Diavel just enough time to share a look of absolute confusion before the blue light overtook them.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>--- X </span>
  <b>Momo </b>
  <span>X---</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Yaoyorozu Momo stabbed the spear she had picked at the start of the game out from under the shield she had bought in the town of beginnings, stabbing the boar through the side and watching its health bar drain before it shattered like fragmented grass. Watching another dig its feet into the ground and prepare to charge,  Momo quickly braced her lance and prepared for the charge, letting the boar gore itself on the lance. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Then a set of small spikes hit into the eyes from above her.  Looking up, the blacked haired daughter watched another woman approach her, a staff draped across her shoulders with casual ease. In a flash like a serpent, it moved from its place and glowed, crashing into the boar's skull and sending the health bar plummeting.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Any particular reason you aren't using Sword Skills, newbie?" The woman drawled, returning her staff to its place and stretching.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I'm practicing fighting for real life," Momo said, standing up and resting the butt of her spear on the ground. The woman nodded. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"That… sounds super boring," she said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Wha-?" </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"C'mon, kid," the woman said, "Look around you. We're in the world's first VRMMORPG. And those last three words are the important ones. RPG, Role Playing </span>
  <em>
    <span>Game</span>
  </em>
  <span>. It's a chance to cut loose, have some fun, be what you aren't in the real world. Heroes can be villains here, and normal civies can be anything we want. Heroes, villains, blacksmiths, carpenters, chefs. You name it, we can be it, and you're using it as a glorified training simulator?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I… I'm sure I'll do it at some point," Momo admitted, "but-"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Hey," the woman said, "Look, how about we hang out for a bit? You cut loose and have some fun on day one? I don't have anything be- oh, seriously?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Before Momo could say anything, the woman opened her menu and read a message before snorting and opening up a virtual keyboard below it, quickly typing out a message, muttering aloud, "Got caught up with a newbie. Give me half an hour…"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Hitting the send key, she waved her hand dismissively and held out the other, "Anyways, run with me for a bit. I'll cut you free."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Momo worried the inside of her cheek, marveling at the lack of a pinch. It couldn't hurt to be a little social, could it?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Ok," Momo said, taking the hand and blinking as the woman bumped her shoulders together with a grin.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Good," she said, "I'm Pitohui, but call me Pito, ok? I got some guys I run with sometimes, I'll introduce them to you later. Got a name?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Momo," Momo said. She hadn't felt a need to hide her first name. There were hundreds, if not thousands of Momos in Japan alone.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Using your real name for your handle?" Pitohui laughed, spinning her staff, "that's your first problem. How're you supposed to make a new persona when everyone is constantly callin' you by your real na- What the shit?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Blue lights began to overtake Pitohui and Momo, sending them flashing away.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>--- X </span>
  <b>Denki </b>
  <span>X---</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Denki blinked as the light faded, still swinging his spear in the sword skill it had been in the middle of before the sudden teleportation had overtaken them. It smacks into a panel that formed around the girl in front like it was a brick wall, knocking him off balance. What? What the-?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>{Safe Area} Flashed on his HUD, making Denki stare in confusion. Safe area? He was in a safe-?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"What's going on?" Someone around him asked. Before they could say anything else, a huge hologram appeared hanging over them.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Hello," the hologram said, "I am Kayaba Akihiko, the lead developer of Aincrad… and as of thirty minutes ago, I am a villain who has you all hostage."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>What.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I'm sure that seems to be a non sequitur, but I don't have much time to explain it if I want to succeed. You are all now my hostages, trapped in SAO. If you check your menus, you'll see that your log out button has been removed. This is </span>
  <em>
    <span>not</span>
  </em>
  <span> an accident. Until Sword Art Online is cleared, you are all trapped within this world. Any attempt from someone outside the game will unleash a blast of microwaves into your head, killing you instantly… furthermore, if your hit points reach zero, rather than respawning, the same will happen. The authorities outside of SAO have been made aware of this."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>What… what the fuck?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Denki, like all the people around him, began to hammer the empty log out button, gut dropping. No, no. Wait, if it fried his brain, would his Quirk save him? No, that was too much of a gamble for something like this...</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Alongside this," Kayaba said, "I have implemented it so your true appearances will as soon as I depart-"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Then what was the point of having us create our avatars," someone snapped, but was ignored. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I will see you at the Ruby Palace on the hundredth floor," Kayaba said, "Good luck."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And then he vanished, leaving them standing there to deal with the bombshell that had just been dropped on them, people shoving each other and arguing. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>---X </span>
  <b>Toshinori </b>
  <span>X---</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Toshinori was one of the first people in the room, his signature smile gone. There was a time and a place, and it wasn't here. Not with what had caused this meeting. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Other heroes filtered in. Endeavor, Edgeshot, Ryukyu, Nighteye. And on screens set up, people too far away to arrive in person were appearing. The Wild, Wild Pussycats, Gang Orca, Mirko, Ingenium.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Naomasa was pacing as one last screen turned on, revealing someone Toshinori really hadn't expected. Dave.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"That's everyone," Naomasa said, voice and face grim. Breathing in, he began, "Thank you for coming now. This… this really isn't something that can wait until morning, because every minute counts. On that note, I have to summarize for posterity. At 17:30, JST, Kayaba Akihiko released a statement, declaring that he had locked all fifty thousand players in the new Virtual Reality Massive Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game, Sword Art Online, with the threat that anyone who attempted to remove the helmets used to access it would cause a lethal dose of microwave radiation to be released by the helmet. Due to… </span>
  <em>
    <span>unfortunate</span>
  </em>
  <span> attempts by concerned loved ones who didn't listen to the warning, we can confirm that this is true. With the exception of Mr. Shield, you're being called upon to track down Kayaba and bring him to justice. Meanwhile, Mr. Shield, we are requesting the support of I-Island to find a way through the firewalls and to disarm the NerveGear, though you need to be careful. We can't say that Kayaba does not have a failsafe or dead man's switch in place to kill the hostages."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Grim nods all around.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Then good luck gentlemen, ladies," Naomasa said, meeting Toshinori's eyes. The Symbol of Peace clenched his fists.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Fifty thousand people's lives were on the line. They couldn't afford to let Kayaba get away.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>--- X </span>
  <b>Izuku </b>
  <span>X---</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Izuku followed Kirito, having to take two steps for each of the older boy's one as he dragged his sister and Klein along, Rain next to him. Behind them, shouts of outrage and loud sobs bounced in his ears, while ice gathered in the pit of his stomach. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Trapped, they were trapped here.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Izuku looked down at his shaking hand. Breath, keep breathing. Don't hyperventilate.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Where are we going?" Sugu asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Horunka," Kirito said, "it's a small village north west of here, where we can get better equip-"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He couldn't… he wouldn't… he…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Go without me," Izuku said, quietly but with heart slowly hardening with resolve. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"What?" Kirito said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"People are going to need help," Izuku said, turning to watch the riot happening, "advice, guidance… I can't just leave them, Kirito. You go get the Anneal Blade, I'm going to stay here and help them. I might not be All Might anymore, but…"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"You sure, Nine?" Kirito asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Yeah," Izuku said, "Yeah, I am."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I'll stay with you," Rain offered, having shrunk considerably and gained light brown hair once Kayaba's 'gift' had taken effect. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I have to help my friends," Klein said, "but if you need me, any of you, don't hesitate to message me for help."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"...Alright," Kirto said, nodding, "Keep in touch, you guys."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Same," Izuku took his hand, bumping into Kirito, "I-"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>{New Message from: Diavel.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Subject: I Need To Talk}</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"-I'll catch you around." Izuku finished, looking at a nearby merchant. If he wanted anyone to take him seriously at his age… "I'd like to buy a green cloak."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The menu asking for the confirmation popped up then, floating in the air. Izuku tapping it, and a hooded green cloak formed around his body.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>--- X </span>
  <b>AN </b>
  <span>X---</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Thoughts, questions, opinions? Good? Bad? Meh?</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Birds of a Feather</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Right, gonna black out for a few hours now.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>--- X Diaval X---</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Diavel's hands shook around his mug of mead, waiting for his guests to join him in the corner of the out of the way tavern he had taken for himself as quickly as possible. And considering how many people had arrived and begun to drink themselves into oblivion using SAO's surprisingly robust simulation of drunkenness, that was probably a good thing. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was probably like that across the Town of Beginnings. Every tavern, every bar. Every place that sold the simulated alcohol was being swarmed by men and women horrified by the hostage situation that had become their life in a matter of minutes. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>What did Kayaba want? Money? Power? Fame? Why were they trapped in this… this… this </span>
  <em>
    <span>death game?</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Fuck it.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Diavel began to drink from the pint. Fuck.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Diavel?" A soft, high pitched voice asked, and the brown haired night lowered the mug to watch two people approach his table. One was a girl with light brown hair, and the other a boy wearing a hood so only his eyes and mouth were visible. But even with them a different color, Diavel recognized those eyes from the times they had fought in the Beta. It had been all in good fun, at the time. Why wouldn't it have been? Diavel didn't gank, so he didn't draw NP's ire.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Nine?" Diavel asked, just in case, "Pito?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Who?" The girl said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"This is Rain," Nine said, sitting down and running his eyes down the menu that immediately popped up before hitting an option, a horn of orange liquid appearing in his hand. Next to him, Rain settled into a seat and also began to look through the menu, "I haven't seen Pito yet. She's on-"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"-Unfortunately," Diavel said bitterly, and Nine nodded, drinking some of the orange juice.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"-unfortunately," he agreed, "but she was busy before… well…"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"</span>
  <em>
    <span>This</span>
  </em>
  <span> happened?" Diavel said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Yeah," Nine finished, while Rain grabbed a mug of orange juice from the table</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"What's with the horn?" Diavel asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"It was in my inventory," Nine said, "I think it was a gift for Betas."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Diavel checked his inventory, noticing that it was one of two cosmetic skins for the generic tankard that showed up any time you pulled out a drink in a tavern. If they hadn't been trapped in this hellhole, it probably would have been a nice gift to the people who had helped with reporting bugs.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Instead, it smacked of taunting. 'Thanks for fucking yourself over!' Maybe he'd use it in the future, but right now he was too pissed at Argus to do so.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was amazing how quickly someone could go from loving a world and company to </span>
  <em>
    <span>despising</span>
  </em>
  <span> them both so quickly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"So, uh..." Nine asked, "What did you want me for?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Diavel hesitated. Nine was younger than he expected, but… "I fucked up."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"F…" Nine started, "What happened?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I dueled a couple of players before… before I found out... to the death. I don't know if it only kicked in with Kayaba's announcement or-"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"If harmless PvP turned into muder," Rain finished for him, "Chert voz'mi."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"What?" Nine said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Don't worry about it," Rain said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Kayaba replaced the spawn room with a list of everyone in SAO," Diavel said, planting a hand in his head, "but… I didn't get their names before the duels. I… I-"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"You didn't do it on purpose if it did happen," Nine said, "And I doubt you're the only one. If Pito had been with me-"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"You'd probably be in the same position," Diavel finished.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Did you just need someone to talk about this with?" Nine prompted.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"No," Diavel said, "I need… I'm planning to start heading towards Tolbana soon, begin mapping out the dungeon so when people are ready we can take on Ilfang. Can you give me Argo's information? If I find anything-"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Y-Yeah," Nine opened his menu, sending that to Diavel, alongside half of the Col he started with, "Buy a warm bed or something to drink or both for the night, Diavel. You look like you could use it more than me."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"How the hell aren't you freaking out?" Diavel asked, and Nine looked into the orange juice. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Someone's gotta keep their head for now," he finally said, "I'll freak out when I'm alone, but even if it's just a kid not freaking out, that might help someone."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Well, that was certainly true for Diavel, right now.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>--- X Izuku/Nine X---</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Izuku, Nine, now, he guessed, shut the door after offering Rain a shy smile and a wish goodnight. Once that was done, and the small icon informing him he was in an instance appeared, meaning he was, finally, alone, he slid off the cloak he had bought and buried his head in his hands.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>What to do first, cry, scream or throw something? Actually, Izuku's eyes landed on the flower vase, why couldn't he do all three? That seemed like a really good idea, and nobody could blame him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Izuku grabbed the vase, giving a choked scream and hurled it full force into the wall next to the bathroom where it shattered. The wall, undamaged and almost mockingly, popped up an {Immortal Object} notice a second later. Izuku threw himself onto the bed, punching the pillow and changed out of his armor. Laying there, he quietly stewed in his thoughts. Stupid Kayaba, stupid Argus! How had nobody, </span>
  <em>
    <span>nobody</span>
  </em>
  <span> caught this before now!? It was… was… someone would have noticed, right!?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Calm down. Calm down. There was no way Kayaba was going to get away with this, the Heroes, All Might, they'd catch him! They were probably only gonna be stuck here for a few days, a couple of weeks maximum! They just needed to stay safe until then, then he'd be sitting with Mom and eating katsudon and-</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Izuku punched the pillow again, pulling up his friend's list and picking out Pitohui's name </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>{Subject: How are you doing?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Hey, Pito. It's Nine.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Obviously. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Anyways, we never got to meet up after the… well, you know. How are you? We gotta keep our chins up! All Might'll catch Kayaba before we'll know it. What's the first thing you're gonna do when you get out? I'm gonna eat a bowl of katsudon.}</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Izuku stared at the ceiling for a few minutes, twiddling his thumbs and breathing in, trying to get his feelings under control. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>{Re: How are you doing?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>From: Pitohui</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Well.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Nice to see your not doing bad, Nine. I had a little sprout under my wing (bird pun! :P), but dropped them. Where r you at, I can drop by tomorrow and we can party up! Also, sirsly, drop the paragraph writing, it must take u 4ever.}</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>{I-Might: *You're</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>*are</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>*seriously</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>*You</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>*forever</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And you abandoned someone!?}</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>{Pitohui: Ah, jump off Aincrad. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Wait, shit! Don't do that! Bad idea, bad idea, Nine!}</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Izuku cracked a smile, rubbing his red eyes.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>{Pitohui: Shit, did you jump?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Seriously, Nine, if your name goes dark in two minutes I'm killing you!}</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>{I-Might: How are you supposed to kill me if I'm dead from the fall?}</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Izuku was quiet for a minute, waiting for the response. None came.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>{I-Might: Pito?}</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>{Pitohui: Forget about that. Anyway, location, chop, chop mister. We got mobs to grind. You pick anyone up?}</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>{I-Might: Yeah, one.}</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>{Pitohui: Great. We got a mommy bird, a daddy bird, and a chick. Now, get a good night sleep, we got a kid to teach in the morning, Mommy! Night!}</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>{I-Might: Night}</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Trust Pito to kill some of the tension.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>---X </span>
  <b>Sugu </b>
  <span>X---</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Suguha swung her scimitar through another one of the pitcher plant monsters, a Nepenthes. The wireframe scar marking it as the health bar dropped and it reacted by suffering the rapidly familiar explosion into the shard of glass that signaled death in the world they were now trapped in.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Trapped. They were trapped. Hostages in a world she didn't know, and away from her home, her kendo practice… everything that made her comfortable. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>On instinct, Suguha wrapped her arms around her knees and arched her back, hoping against hope that the long tendrils of her Quirk would form around her and let her take to the skies. Nothing. Just a hollow feeling like she had lost something that was so absolutely </span>
  <em>
    <span>hers</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Was this what it was like to be Quirkless? How, how did they </span>
  <em>
    <span>live</span>
  </em>
  <span> like this? Without… without giving up or-</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Her head snapped up at the yell in the distance, towards where Kazuto had gone. Oh no… please, no-</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Suguha stood up, grabbing the scimitar and rushing towards her brother, "Kazuto! Kazu-!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She, rather ironically, nearly bowled Kazuto, Kirito, over as she rushed to him. He staggered back, practically tipping back on his heels. His eyes were away from her, back towards where the yell had come from. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I- what was that?" She asked into his chest.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"A…" Kazu- Kirito breathed in, finally looking down at her with haunted eyes, "A MPK gone wrong."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"MPK?" Suguha said, "PK means Player Kill if it's the same as with Nine, but what about the M?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Monster," Kirito said, shaking his head, "A guy called Coper tried to kill me with some to keep me from turning in the Quest but… well, the Nepenthes don't hunt by sight. Are you alright, Sugu?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Yeah," Sugu said, "I was… I was just worried about you, when I heard the scream-"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I'm fine," Kirito said, shrugging her off him, "Come on, let's turn the Quest in and get some sleep. We've gotta get to grinding out skills in the morning, especially if you want the katana one."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>--- X </span>
  <b>Rain </b>
  <span>X---</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Rain followed Nine down the stairs, watching him glance at his menu out of the corner of his eye. Giving a tired sigh, he closed it, shoulders sagging forwards, "What's up?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Pito's getting antsy," Nine said, "It's not good for her to do that, she gets… random."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Then get your ass down here so we can get crackin', Nine!" The high pitched voice called, and Nine closed his eyes and stepped down. Leaning against the wall, wearing leather armor that looked closer to a bodysuit (friggin' horndog developers. Rain would put all the col she had in her inventory that if Nine wore the same set, assuming he </span>
  <em>
    <span>wasn't</span>
  </em>
  <span>, that it wouldn't have been half as formfitting) was a young woman that Rain, as an aspiring idol, knew.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Kanzaki Elsa. A short, petite woman in her late teens with long dark hair pulled into a ponytail and mirthful, slit-pupiled eyes. In her right hand, a long, curved dagger span like a fan, dancing with grace. Finally she stopped and sheathed it at her side, pushing off the wall, "Nine~! You didn't tell me this is what you looked like! Definitely better than the muscle bound lunk you were playing in the beta!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Nine blinked, curling into his cloak with a blossoming blush, "Thanks? You look… uh, you look nice too, Pito?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Is that a question, Nine?" Elsa teased, grabbing a one-handed sword resting in a sheath against the wall and tossing it at him. Nine fumbled with it, looking down at the sword in confusion. Elsa cackled at the look on his face, and Rain couldn't help the smile that began to edge at her lips. Neither could some of the people gathered around, most of them already well into tankards of alcohol. Others looked up, eyes dull, before looking back down and returning to their drinks, "Yeah, yeah, I know. You're doing the monk thing, but what happens if we hit a mob that takes almost no damage from blunt? Ya know, like the skellies on floor five with piercing?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Nine sighed, fixing the sword to his hip under his cloak, "Fine. Pito, this is Rain. Rain, this is-"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Kanza-!" Before Rain could finish, Elsa raised a hand.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"No," she said, "No. Not here, I'm Pitohui here, or Pito for short. Got it, pipsqueek?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Why would she know your name?" Nine muttered in confusion, looking between the two.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Nine's a Hero Otaku," El- Pito said, grinning at the dumbfounded look on Rain's face, "If I was a pro? He'd know me. But since I'm just an idol, it ain't important. Good thing too, we built up a good thing during the beta, I wouldn't want that ruined. Anyways, what are we doing today Nine? Trying to take over Aincrad?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Heading towards the crafter district," Nine said, pulling his hood up and stepping out of the tavern.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Picking up alchemy?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Maybe," Nine said, "but there are probably people who need an escort to gather mats."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"And we charge 'em!" Pito said, grinning. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Why would we charge them?" Nine asked, sounding legitimately confused. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Pito rolled her eyes leaning towards Rain, "See this? This is why he needs people like us around, Robin. Too nice for his own good."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>--- </span>
  <b>Yuuki </b>
  <span>X---</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Yuuki walked through the town, whistling a jaunty tune as she and Koharu went. The other girl gave her a strange look, "What?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"How are you acting so happy?" She asked, "We're… we're trapped here, it's not a game anymore, so-"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"-it's real life," Yuuki finished, "so we should live it like it's real life! And that means having fun!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I-" Koharu started, shaking her head, "Then what do we do first?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Find some party members!" Yuuki chirped, "Gotta get a tank, you know-"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Here's a weird question," Yuuki blinked and turned, watching a brown haired boy and girl approach them, the girl talking while the boy stared at his hand, "Would you be willing to escort us to another town? We'd pay you."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"What's at that town?" Yuuki asked, tilting her head, "a quest? Item?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Skill," the girl said, "Chant. I wanna unlock it."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Playing a bard?" Yuuki asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Yep," she said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Then of course we can," Yuuki nodded, "right, Koharu?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Right," Koharu nodded, "what's your names?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I'm Yuna," the girl said, before nudging her friend, who looked up.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I'm Nautilus," he said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>--- X </span>
  <b>Pitohui </b>
  <span>X---</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Pitohui hummed, checking out the cloaks next to Rain. Behind them, she heard Nine pacing. And he complained about her getting ancy? </span>
  <em>
    <span>Her</span>
  </em>
  <span>? Hypocrite, "If you wanna go find us that job, Nine, go! We're partying, so we'll know."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Nine vanished out of the building the minute she said that, not even pausing to say goodbye, "And grab the Alchemy skill while you're there! It's helpful!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"You mentioned it before," Rain said, "What's it do?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Makes elixirs and potions and stuff," Pito said, "You know how Kayaba advertises SAO as having no magic? That's… mostly true. There are magic weapons with special effects, there was a Last Attack Bonus, which I really hope I don't need to explain, that drained health from monsters to heal the user. Nine got it and gave it to me to use, actually, pretty fun for a berserker build… uh, anyways. You can get buffs with elixirs or with someone with the Chant skill. The elixir ones last longer and are stronger, but you can't make them in the middle of battle so ya gotta know what you're fighting."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Chant?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"It's a bard skill," Pito waved her hand, changing the clasp on the cloak, "like, yeah, no classes in Aincrad, whatever. But it's a skill that lets you slap buffs and debuffs by playing music."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"So you want it?" Rain asked, causing Pito to grimace. She could understand why a kid would think like that, but…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"No," Pito said, her ponytail whipping back and forth like a snake, "I play this game to get away from being an idol, Robin. I don't want to pick up that skill."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Why do you keep calling me that?" Rain asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I like birds," Pito said, "my username, "Pitohui"? It's a type of bird, beautiful. So you're a Robin, I'd call ya a Cardinal, bit with the system…"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Rain nodded, finishing her red cloak and pulling it on, "So, you and Nine are Betas? What was it like?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Fun," Pito said, a smile immediately on her lips, "We did a lot of PvP back then, but also did some Dungeon Delving, Raiding, even pet taming. Nine was good at catching when I was getting bored so we could switch tracks. He's a good guy, shame he's on the young side. I-"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>{Message from: I-Might.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Subject: Have a job, got Alchemy.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Hey, got someone with work for us. Wants to run one of the starter dungeons for blacksmithing mats. She'll act as tank if we DPS, and let us keep Alchemy mars. Meet you at the edge of the ToB in twenty?}</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>{Sure.} Pito sent, finishing off her cloak, a snake clasp appearing while she grabbed a wolf one from the air, "We're gonna need to charge her. Nine's too thick headed to do so."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"You already said that," Rain said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"That's because it's true," Pito said, "He's nice to a fault."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>--- X </span>
  <b>Katsuki </b>
  <span>X---</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Katsuki's jaw jumped as the Hag tore down the streets of Mustafu, refusing to show the sign of nausea biting at his stomach from it. It was eight in the morning, what had lit a fire under her ass like this?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>All he was getting was a blunt, "Not now, brat!" Every time he asked. But her hands were shaking, glycerin slick across her face and arms and beginning to mat down her hair. What was wrong? The Hag… she didn't act like thi-</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Katsuki jerked forward as she slammed on the breaks, stopping the car and throwing open the door. Stepping out, Katsuki looked at the familiar apartment complex. Fuck, how long had it been since he had been here? There was a time where him and Deku would go over to each other's house on a daily basis. When they were…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Whatever. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Following the Hag up, he watched her pull out the key to the Midoriya apartment and unlock it, throwing it open and vanishing in. Stepping in himself, Katsuki watched the Hag bundle Auntie Inko, who was sitting on the couch with her head in her hands, into a hug.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Then his eyes landed on the yellow tape and police officer standing in front of Deku's room, and his stomach fell like a stone. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"What… what happened?" Katsuki asked, "Where's D- Izuku?" </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"He… he logged into that game last night," Inko said through renewed tears, arms shaking while grabbing Katsuki's mom like she was scared she was going to vanish.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Katsuki fought the urge to double over like someone had punched him in the gut, settling for falling into a chair. Deku… the nerd… Izuku… was trapped in that terrorist attack?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Why would he have wanted to play the game? What… what was going on? Why?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"He's going to be transferred to Manaan tomorrow," Inko said, "normally it'd be too expensive for us but Yotsubashi said that any family member of a Detnerat family member would get the best care money could buy. "</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"This…" Katsuki growled, punching the chair, "This is fucked up! The heroes better catch the fucker who did this!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Fuckin' he was gonna take notes for the Nerd until he got out. He might not ever be able to be a hero, but there were plenty of jobs he could get and Katsuki wasn't gonna let him lose out because of a terrorist.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>--- X </span>
  <b>Nautilus </b>
  <span>X---</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Nochizawa "Nautilus" Eiji stared down at his hand from the back of the party Yuna and him had joined. There was something… something wrong, he could tell. His body moved sluggishly sometimes, like he was moving through silt. Did everyone else feel that, or was there something wrong with him?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"</span>
  <em>
    <span>Still round the corner there may wait A new road or a secret gate</span>
  </em>
  <span>," Yuna sang, the years of musical training for her Quirk making her voice melodic. And that gave Nautilus some amount of grounding. They were trapped here, but he still had Yuna. They could do this together, help clear the game together, "</span>
  <em>
    <span>And though we pass them by today, Tomorrow we may come this way. And take the hidden paths that run towards the Moon or to the Sun</span>
  </em>
  <span>."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Wow," Yuuki said, turning and walking backwards with bright eyes, "You're a really good singer!" </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Thank you," Yuna said, smiling, "I've always wanted to be an ido-"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Wolves," Nautilus said, lowering his sluggish hand to draw his sword from his hip, sure that if he had a heart in his avatar it was hammering in his chest. The rest of the party got ready immediately, Koharu and Yuna drawing their knives from their hips while Yuuki tossed her sheath aside, letting it vanish into her inventory. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The first wolf of eight lunged for them, and Yuuki was on it in a flash, swinging her sword through the skull with a glowing Vertical. At the end of the swing, she switched hands as the post-motion took effect and immediately launched a Horizontal through the same wolf's head and formed a cross of glowing blue light. Red particle effects spread as the wolf split into clean fourths along the cross before it shattered. By that point, Yuuki had engaged a second, a laugh and a smile on her face.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Glancing around, Nautilus wondered if there would have been so many wolves if it had been him and Yuna, or if the amount spawned was adjusted to the number of people in the party, then pushed it aside. Instead, he forced his hand into the pre-motion for a Vertical. Letting go of control of his body, he slashed out, taking the wolf's head off and letting it shatter. His heart stuttered when another lunged at him in the middle of a post motion that seemed to be suffering from lag. He couldn't, couldn't move. He was going to-</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And then Yuna tackled the wolf away from him, knife in an icepick grip and glowing as it drove into the throat of the mob. It thrashed, trying to claw her with its feet as she pulled the dagger up and released a spray of red particles from the neck.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Finally, </span>
  <em>
    <span>finally</span>
  </em>
  <span> the post-motion let up, and Nautilus turned towards another wolf, catching sight of Koharu finishing off the second of her two. Only to see Yuuki already in the midst of killing it, a happy grin on her face as she took off all four feet. How, how wasn't she scared?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Turning to the last wolf, he shared a look with Yuna, before they rushed it together. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>--- X </span>
  <b>Liz </b>
  <span>X---</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Shinozaki "Lisbeth" Rika examined the sword I-Might, or "Nine" as he insisted on being called, had thrown her way. Simple bronze one handed sword, the type anyone who started with that weapon would have. She suspected, given the way he had tossed it at her and immediately dispelled the sheath, he was just looking for an excuse to 'lose' it.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She'd make him a sword good enough that he didn't want to lose it when this was over with. He seemed nice, if a bit awkward.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I'm sorry they're taking so long," he apologized for the fifth time in twenty minutes, pacing back and forth, "Once they get here we can immediately head-"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"-out?" Nine looked over, sighing, "Yeah, yeah. We're late. Some of us figured grabbin' potions was a good idea, Nine! How many do you have on you?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"...The five we started with," Nine admitted reluctantly as two girls in cloaks, one crimson red and the other midnight black, approached them. Immediately, Liz examined their weapons. One had a staff and dagger equipped, while the other had a one handed sword. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Not enough," the girl in black said, opening up the trade menu and sending several potions over to Nine, before looking over Liz, "So, you're the one we're supposed to be bodyguarding?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Yeah," Liz stood up, "Lisbeth, but call me Liz."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Good to hear," she said, "I'm Pitohui, or Pito, and this is Rain."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Hi," Rain said, looking a bit shy.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"We're hitting the closest dungeon?" Pito asked Nine, who nodded quietly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Yeah," Nine said, "I'm gonna let you do most of the talking until we get there, Pito."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Sounds good," Pito said, a cock-sure grin splitting across the half of the face Liz could see.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>--- X AN X ---</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Thought, questions and opinion? Good? Bad? Meh</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Forged in a Crucible of Blades</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Liz winced at the dwarf's pickaxe crashed into her shield, stepping back a step… and then Nine rushed around her and grabbed the miner by the face, slamming him into the ground before reeling back and driving a glowing fist into the chest. Two more dwarfs stepped forward, swinging for his head as the Post-Motion overtook him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Switch!" Nine barked, jumping back while Pito rushed forwards, cracking her staff into one dwarf's face. Spinning around, she caught the neck in the staff and struggled with the dwarf for a second before the grapple move succeeded and she snapped their neck with a sword skill.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Switch!" Pito said, letting Nine slide back into combat, fists glowing.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Smash!" He shouted, punched the dwarf into the air with one hand before delivering a backhand strike with the other, sending it flying into the darkness. Nine stood as the Post-motion took him, breathing deeply.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"We need to find you a different catchphrase," Pito deadpanned, "When you look like that, it really doesn't fit you."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"It fits me just fine!" Nine argued back, "I'm trying to be a hero, and it works."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"No, it doesn't."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Yes, it does!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Can you two </span>
  <em>
    <span>not</span>
  </em>
  <span> when we're in the middle of a dungeon?" Liz asked, sharing a bemused look with Rain… and eyes widening as two dwarves approached her, "Look out!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Rain span, deflecting the first pickaxe, but before the second could hit home, Nine was between them, hand pierced by the pickaxe and health bar lowering. Rain growled, launching a Horizontal that took off the head of the dwarf that had tried to hit her. The other dwarf had it a lot worse.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It got Pito on it.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Her knife flashed through the air, digging into the dwarf's eye. In the next second, Pito was on them, smashing them off Nine with her staff facefirst, driving the knife in further. Grabbing the pick-axe as it fell, she drove it into their chest and down, nearly eviscerating the mob before grabbing the knife in the eye and ripping it out along the cheekbone.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And even worse, since none of them were Sword Skills, the dwarf's health bar only dropped by a fourth despite the grievous wounds. Pito grabbed them by the head, slamming them into the wall with a nightmarish crack, and didn't let up. Dagger blows pierced through the skin, wall strikes sent up flashes of {Immortal Object} and-</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Nine drew the bronze sword in a showy fashion, drawing it backhand from his right hip and whirling it into a foregrip once he finished chugging a health potion, and launched a Thrust Sword Skill to put the mob out of its misery, "That's enough, Pito."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Pitohui looked up with wide, wild eyes and a mad grin on her face as her knife shook like a leaf in the breeze. For a second, Liz was actually scared she was going to attack Nine, even as he unflinchingly flipped the sword back into a reverse grip and returned it to its sheath. Finally, Pito breathed excitedly, "I missed being here."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Liz's mouth dropped open, and she shared a bewildered look with Rain. She, she </span>
  <em>
    <span>missed</span>
  </em>
  <span> SAO? Now that it was a Death Game!?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I know," Nine said, nodding, "but don't get overwhelmed. We still have the Dungeon Boss to clear."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Right," Pito said, eyes sparkling with something dark, "Right. Let's get to that, I wanna have more fun, Izu."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>---X Rain X---</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Rain watched Nine and Pito move like a well oiled machine, switching off at the end of each Sword Skill. Finally, she asked, "Why are you doing that?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Doing what?" Nine, Izu, according to the slip up Pito had made in the heat of her bloodlust, and Rain really didn't have any other phrase to describe the rampage the older girl had gone on… and, really, as she had abandoned her staff for her knife, was still on. The Sword Skills she was using were like Horizontal and Verticals vicious little siblings, sending showers of red particles with each hit.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Yelling Switch?" Rain asked, thrusting her sword through one dwarf and kicking it off while the health bar decreased. As they had gone deeper, the dwarves had been slowly but steadily changed. They had become more clearly soldiers, wielding twisted black axes and hammers together with shields and heavy armor. What skin was visible was ashen, with pronounced, dark veins. Launching another Horizontal at it, she watched their head fly separately in a simulated shower of blood. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"The AI takes a second to switch targets if you switch out," Nine said, slamming the back of his fist into a dwarf's head and denting the armor. The health bar plummeted, and it shattered before Nine jumped back and let Pito onto the last, shoving the dwarf's neck up and using a Horizontal to slit their throat, "Long enough for you to get in a free Sword Skill or two. Right, we're about to hit the boss, so info time."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Pito nodded, tossing the knife up and catching it, "Alfrigg the Fallen King, the first of three Dungeon Bosses on Floor One, four if you count the Floor boss. He drops some pretty good blacksmithing mats and 'obsidian' weapon sets. I hope he drops the knife or the staff."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"They're not the best in my opinion," Nine continued, "high damage for their tier but low durability, But Pito likes the look and they're better than the starter gear. Anyways. We're going to have to deal with a pair of mobs wearing plate armor. Rain, you'll do more damage if you hit the weaker parts, the uh… the bendable part of joints? Pito, is there a specific word for that?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Dunno," Pito shrugged, "I wrote some of my stuff, but that isn't really the thing you need to know in the music business."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Ok," Nine nodded, before continuing, "so there, back of the thighs. Places like that. Liz, your and my weapons count as blunt damage, so when it comes to plate like this it'll deal a special debuff called 'Crushing'. It does a good amount of Armor Piercing, so don't worry about where you hit, but if you can land a few on the head, they'll Stunned for a bit and we can really lay on the DPS. Me and Pito'll be doing the same, since we also use blunt, of course."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"See," Pito deadpanned, juggling her knife again, "Nine's memory is scary sometimes. That's why I'm willin' to sit here and have him make the plans."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Uh…" Nine flushed, before coughing, "Anyways, once both the adds are dealt with, we'll have thirty seconds to heal up while Alfrigg gets up and does his animations, then he'll attack the nearest one of us. Liz, make sure that's you. He starts with an axe and a shield and will mostly use single hit Sword Skills, but once his health hits fifty percent, he switches to a two handed warhammer and begins focusing on AOE and CC based ones. If you hear me or Pito yelling to get back, </span>
  <em>
    <span>get back</span>
  </em>
  <span>. You don't want to die because you were stunned and then hit by the full force of a Steel Hurricane. Ok?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Ok," Rain nodded.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Yeah," Liz said, tightening her grip on her hammer.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"And the same thing is true about his armor too, but at that point we should </span>
  <em>
    <span>not</span>
  </em>
  <span> go fishing for Stuns. If we can get one off, it's good, but don't open yourself up just to get one."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Any potions for us before we go in?" Pito asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Do I look like I've had time to make potions?" Nine asked, "besides, with as low as my Alchemy skill is, they'd be pretty much the same as what we'd get in town. Just have some on your quick menu and be sure to drink one if you need one."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Just wanted to make sure," Pito said, before kicking open the heavy stone door they were standing in front of and walking in with Nine on her tail.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>--- X </span>
  <b>Pitohui </b>
  <span>X---</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Pitohui watched the two elite mobs stand each clutching two handed axes with pitch black blades on either side of the haft. Primitive, but dangerous. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Nine, Izuku, whoever he really was, because Kanzaki Elsa couldn't, for the life of her, say with absolute certainty that she wasn't more Pitohui than she was Elsa stepped forward and raised his fingers. Five. Four. Three. Two. One. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Mark.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>In concert the two Beta Testers, the Bloody Bird and the Hunter Wolf, a pair of names she knew Nine hated but she </span>
  <em>
    <span>loved</span>
  </em>
  <span>, took off, leaving Robin and Liz in the dust. The black blades of the mobs began to glow with the light of a Cleave Sword Skill. Pito whirled around the back of the mob, dodging the wide swing of the axe. Next to her, Nine slid low, using his smaller frame to let the axe swing harmlessly over his head.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And then they launched their own Sword Skills, a growl coming from Nine as he came up in an uppercut that would make a fighting game character proud, flowing with the overtaken motion. Meanwhile, Pito's staff whirled into the skull of her mob and sent it staggering slightly. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Switch!" They called as one, and jumped back to watch Rain and Liz rush forwards. The two newer players weren't quite as graceful, but Pito could forgive that because it was still fun to watch.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Liz swung her hammer up without a Sword Skill, and as it glowed the yellow light of a Crush, another cleave came for her. She barely got her shield up in time to blunt the worst of the attack, skidding backwards. Nine rushed in, hands glowing the red of a Neck Snap, and latched his hands onto each side of the head with a simulated </span>
  <em>
    <span>crack</span>
  </em>
  <span> after the strength check passed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It said something that it only did ten percent of the health bar in damage. She couldn't say </span>
  <em>
    <span>what</span>
  </em>
  <span>, but she was sure it did.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Fully into the rhythm, Pito moved in as Nine moved out. Nodding towards Rain's fight to Liz, "We'll deal with this one. Help her."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Liz nodded, changing tracks, and Pito let her be reduced to nothing more than a green bar in the corner of her vision. Now it was just her, Nine and a dwarf mob. They could help after, if the girl's needed it.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was like a dance, if a dance was a deadly experience that got Pito's heart pumping and simulated blood roaring in her ears. She was sure, </span>
  <em>
    <span>sure</span>
  </em>
  <span> SAO simulated an adrenaline rush somehow, and she was in the depths of one, laughter beginning to bubble up. Axe swings were dodged, or deflected with Sword Skills of their own. Every time Pito locked up with a Post Motion and gave a loud click of her tongue, Nine was on the dwarf, fists cracking against the helm in a blow that should have ripped apart his hands. And every time he locked up and did the same noise, Pito was there to continue the beat down.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>At some point, her knife made it into her off hand, and with precision that wouldn't have been possible in real life without a Quirk, she threw it into the eye slit. He staggered back, reaching up to touch it.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And leaving him freely open to Nine's Double Strike Sword Skill. Not on the Dwarf, but on the axe blades. Black glass shattered, and Pito rushed in. Grabbing the knife and twisting it so it was in the Pre-motion for a Horizontal, she tore it from the eye and through the armor.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Nine lunged forward with a simple jab to the throat, dropping the Dwarf's health to zero and shattering it. Looking over at Rain and Liz, who were now missing twenty percent of their health apiece and on opposite sides of the room from the dwarf, Pito began to watch carefully while holding out an arm to stop Nine from jumping in.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They needed to gauge how good Rain was, if she was going to party with them.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>--- X Rain X---</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Rain dodged the axe and around the back of the dwarf while Liz took the blow on her wooden shield, listening to Pitohui cackle like a witch and Nine give nothing but growls, grunts and strangled clicking noises. Remembering Nine's advice, she locked onto one of the spots left open by the armor and raised her sword into the pre-motion for a Horizontal while she crouched. Slashing out, she cut through the back of the dwarf's thighs, watching a streak of red flash out along her sword. Waiting for the Post Motion to fade, she launched a second as Liz hit him with a Crush.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The dwarf glanced back and then, in a move she was sure a player wouldn't have been able to replicate, smashed Liz aside, span and launched a Sword Skill in about the span of a second, sending Rain flying with a drop in her HP. Her heart leapt in her throat as it dropped considerably, locking up as she waited for it to stop even as Nine and Pito's dwarf shattered. Finally, it did, and Rain stood up.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And before the dwarf could move, Liz's mace crashed into the head with a Crush and sent it sprawled with a debuff icon next to its health bar. Shifting her grip, Rain rushed forwards in a Horizontal, slashing at the neck. Her sword hit the gorget, slamming upwards and embedding itself halfway through the dwarf's jaw. The post-motion locked her there, open to the retaliatory axe swing. Oh, cra- </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Rain!" Nine called tossing his brass sword to her. She caught it, launching a Thrust straight through the eyehole of the dwarf and sending him crashing to the ground, both arms locked up with the post-motion. Well, that explained why dual wielding wasn't a good idea, at least.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Liz brought her mace down in another Crush, driving the sword further into the head like a spike and shattering the dwarf.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Heal up," Nine ordered, turning to the throne, "Liz, in front."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"You dare invade my kingdom!?" The boss, a towering "dwarf" with sunken cheeks and ash white skin bellowed, standing, "Kill my guards!? I am Alfrigg, Lord of the Depths! My line has ruled since the Great Separation! It will not end today, by upstart adventurers' hands!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A black diamond embedded in a golden necklace drank in the light as he slid on his metal helm and grabbed an axe and shield. Then he launched himself at Liz, and Rain grabbed her sword from the ground.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>--- X Nine X---</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Nine's neck tensed at the words, glancing at Pito. That wasn't what Alfrigg was supposed to say, and if that had changed, what else had-</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Before he could think about that further the axe strike smashed into Liz's shield, the tell tale rigor of a Post-Motion to locking up Allfrigg. He'd worry about it when the time came, </span>
  <em>
    <span>if</span>
  </em>
  <span> it came. For now, it was time to do what he did best in this game.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Go for the weak spot, a skill he had honed sharply during the beta. And even if he hadn't known where Alfrigg was weak from the beta, he would have immediately noticed it.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The amulet on his neck, foreshadowing for a later questline. Grabbing it with one hand, Nine slammed his feet against Alfrigg's chest in a kick that glowed with the light of a Sword Skill. Finally, the strength check finished itself and Nine went tumbling back with the amulet in hand, lower body locking up with the Post Motion as Alfrigg roared in anger.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The dwarven king's shield glowed with a Sword Skill not accessible to players, and he launched the edge at Nine's neck in a move that should have sent him scampering. Instead, he launched his own Sword Skill, a Senda, "Weak!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Thief!" Alfrigg bellowed, shield flying wide while the Post Motion locked them both up. Nine gripped the amulet until it cracked in his hand, "Return that to m-"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Nine immediately did so, slamming another palm strike into Alfrigg's helmeted face just as the crystal in the heart of the amulet shattered and detonated. Both boss and player went flying in opposite directions, Nine skipping across the ground like a rock over water and slammed into the wall, his health bar plummeting. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Nine!" Rain started, only for Pito to grab her shoulder.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"If he's taken enough damage to die you wouldn't get there in time to help him!" She barked, turning the girl towards Alfrigg, "He'll be fine, focus on this guy."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Nine grabbed the potion from the air, downing it and watching the damage bar slow, before stopping in the orange. Another one started to heal him, slowly but surely.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And staggering up, his helmet and gorget shattered conventionally before doing so in SAO's system, Alfrigg stood. He was missing a quarter of his first health bar and murder in his dark eyes. Axe glowed, and he began a charge towards Nine.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Which was when Pito lashed out with her staff and sent him off course, "Heal up, Nine. The three of us have got this for now."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>---X Rain X---</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Rain was well aware her grip on her sword was notably shakier than it had been when they had entered the dungeon. Part of that was probably mental fatigue, they had been fighting through the dungeon for the better part of two hours now. But another large part was the distressingly low health bar of the party leader.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She'd only known Nine for a day, but it'd still be horrible if he died. It'd be horrible if </span>
  <em>
    <span>any</span>
  </em>
  <span> of them died. And Nine's health bar slammed home the threat of that happening like Liz's hammer to her stomach. What would happen if she died? Would Nanairo, her sister, come home to Japan for the first time since their parents' divorce to bury her?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Would she even know who Nijika was? Would her father even tell her?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Oi!" Pito shouted, snapping Rain out of her quiet crisis, "Now is not the time, Robin! Nine'll be fine, he's taken worse! Hit this idiot with everything you've got!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And with that declaration, Pito launched forward, swinging her staff in an uppercut and slamming Alfrigg's head up, his health bar dropping a bit. Rain tightened her grip on her sword, launching forward in the diagonal carve of a Slant through Alfrigg's left eye as Pito fell back, "Switch!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Falling back in turn, she let Liz launch an downwards Crush, only for Alfrigg to throw up his shield in time and slamming his axe into her gut, forcing a simulated burst of air to fly from her mouth with a spray of red particles. Flying back, Rain watched Liz's health drop by a tenth. And then Pito was back on the offensive, her staff slipping over the shield and into Alfrigg's face in a backhand thrust, "Switch!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Nine was there then, cloak billowing from the movement as he landed on Alfrigg's shield. His foot swung down, smashing into the tangled mess of black hair before Alfrigg batted him off and left him tumbling in air, "Switch!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The battle began to fade into a monotone repetition, each member of the party hammering Alfrigg with a Sword Skill before switching, falling back when necessary. Rain would barely remember most of it, only flashes of the fight in her mind. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Nine dodging and deflecting blows at one point when all three girls had to fall back and heal at an inopportune time. Pito using that to launch into a series of Sword Skills that carved a third off the health bar while Nine fell back to down a potion.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But the biggest moment she remembered was her own sword launching into a thrust, piercing through Alfrigg's brain stem and out the mouth, carving off the end of his first health bar and into the second. Which is when everything went horribly wrong. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Because instead of switching to a two handed hammer, Alfrigg tossed aside his shield and manifested a one handed one in his offhand, tearing himself off Rain's attack in a roar and bringing both weapons down for Nine's head.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>--- X </span>
  <b>Pitohui </b>
  <span>X---</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Pitohui watched Nine stared down the approaching Sword Skills with a roar of adrenaline. Grabbing her knife, she pulled it back with the glowing of a Single Shot, and then threw it forwards with as much force as possible, working with the System Assist. The blade hit home in Alfrigg's good eye, sending a gout of 'blood' flying and slowly his Sword Skills long enough for Pito to toss Nine his sword from its spot embedded in the ground. He caught it, laying it flat against his left arm and using it to catch the blow from Alfrigg's axe while launching a quick Senda at the hammer. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A moment of tension split the air, before the hammer when flying off course and the axe straight cleaved through the bronze and into Nine's arm, stopping halfway through. The sword shattered and a spray of red particles came from his arm, his health bar dropping again. Pito rushed forwards, her staff glowing and crashing into Alfrigg's face, forcing him back from the boy with the axe still embedded in his arm, "Robin, with me! We're wrapping this up! Liz, guard Nine until he gets healed up. Nine, you're not allowed to fucking die until I </span>
  <em>
    <span>say</span>
  </em>
  <span> you get to, understand?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Now you worry?" Nine said lightly, downing a potion. Then he latched a hand around the haft, and Pito had to wrench herself away from the fascinating sight of him performing what amounted to self surgery in the middle of the battlefield. A grunt came from behind her, more particles audibly splattering, "Just finish it already, Pito. Otherwise I'll personally lodge this axe in his face."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Make her want to drag it out, why didn't he? Still he would probably be able to tell if she was playing with the now blind boss.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>---X </span>
  <b>Liz </b>
  <span>X---</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Liz couldn't help but feel her jaw drop as Nine slowly, but surely, began to remove Alfrigg's axe from his arm. It wasn't giving up easily, like it had caught the bone. Each movement sent a spurt of particles and a small decrease in HP as Nine worked the axe. The boy didn't seem perturbed about it, face barely twitching even as he took a moment to pull out a potion and a roll of bandages and rest them on the ground. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Yeah, she wasn't touching that one with a thirty foot pole, thank you very much. Because holy crap, was that nightmare fuel. In a regular game, it would have been easier to just rip the axe out and take the hit to your health, maybe even force it the rest of the way through. Your arm would heal with time, according to the manual she had meticulously read before entering the game.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But in the new Aincrad, low HP was tantamount to death itself. So doing it slowly was probably the safest way to do it.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Wrenching her eyes away from Nine, she watched Rain and Pito's fight with Alfrigg. Staff clashed with mace so a glowing sword could lance through the regenerating left eye and inflict the dwarven king with a blind debuff again. Roaring, Alfrigg fell into a frenzy, hammer swinging through the air. Pito deflected them each, perfectly timed Sword Skills whistling through the air. A snake's grin began to split her face while Rain launched another attack at Alfrigg from the side.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Liz couldn't help the quiet reverence that began to form as the attacks came from both girls quicker and quicker, health bar dropping into the red. Holy crap, they were-</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And that was when Alfrigg finally pulled out the two handed hammer they had been warned about. And Liz, without thinking, rushed forwards and swung her shield up to deflect the attack swinging for Rain's skull, feeling her arm rattle in the socket.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>---X </span>
  <b>Rain </b>
  <span>X---</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Rain had barely been without Blade Blacksmith for a day, and she already missed it dearly. She hadn't used her Quirk </span>
  <em>
    <span>much</span>
  </em>
  <span>, it really wasn't friendly for a girl aspiring to be an idol to cause swords to sprout around her… but the steel of them was definitely better than the bronze of the starter gear. Nine's arm was currently evidence of tha-</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Yeah, no. Don't think about the meat grinder surgery going on behind you, Nijika. Even with the dulling of the most agonizing pain to a sting, Nine's grunts showed just how unpleasant the process of ripping the axe from his body was going.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Rain launched a Slant just before the hammer crashed into Liz's shield. Causing a spray of 'blood' to fly from the dwarf's face. It wasn't enough to divert the hammer blow, but it still causing the health bar to tick down.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Pito rushed behind Alfrigg, smashing her staff into the back on his spine with a sword skill. The boss fell to his knees, letting Rain and Liz launch their attacks at his head with abandon. Then he swung up with his hammer, uppercutting Rain across the room in a Sword Skill that sent her teeth rattling and her health bar plummeting. She locked up in horror, staring as it lowered and-</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Nine rushed to her side, one arm still hanging limp with Alfrigg's axe in it, and slammed her jaw open, pulling out a potion and forcing it down her throat. Her health began to crawl back away from the edge that represented her end. Alfrigg's hammer appeared above them, coming down in a blow that would cave Nine's head in-</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And being slammed to a halt against Pitohui's staff, slitted eyes glaring death at the boss, "I think, you're supposed to be fighting me."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And then Pito launched into a dance of Sword Skills, battering Alfrigg back towards the center of the room… and right into the waiting mace of Liz. The golden light of the Crush swung towards Alfrigg even as he activated his own Sword Skill, lifting the warhammer over his head and parallel with the ground he-</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Roared as Pito whipped out her dagger, activating a Sword Skill,  slamming it into his eye and forcing him to the ground. The last bit of health faded, and Alfrigg fell backwards, arm lifting. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I… I see now," he rasped, grasping at air, "It… it was the Fallen. They wanted me to- to…"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And then he shattered into blue light Pito's dagger falling to the ground, followed shortly by its owner. Pito began to laugh, first as a quiet giggle, raising to a torrent. Liz joined in, then Rain, and finally Nine.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Wow. That was… it was close but the satisfaction of </span>
  <em>
    <span>winning</span>
  </em>
  <span> was the same as any other game.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>--- X AN X---</span>
</p><p> </p><p>M</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Oh, look at that. Give the guy who revels in fucking up characters the ability to fuck up characters without fear of them being permanently mamed (not that it's ever stopped him before :P) and he cuts loose. </p><p> </p><p>Right, next up (after I collapse and die for a few hours), working on what is nominally a Swain!Izuku fic (I say nominally because he's slowly shifting towards, to use LoL's own terminology, a Specialist) and the next chapter of Red Owl.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
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